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Ensuring more transparent and predictable working conditions

11-04-2019

An employer's obligation to inform their employees on the conditions applicable to their contracts is regulated by Directive 91/533/EEC. Major shifts in the labour market due to demographic trends and digitalisation, spawning a growing number of non-standard employment relationships, have made it necessary to revise the directive. The European Commission has responded to the need for change with a proposal aimed at updating and extending the information on employment-related obligations and working ...

An employer's obligation to inform their employees on the conditions applicable to their contracts is regulated by Directive 91/533/EEC. Major shifts in the labour market due to demographic trends and digitalisation, spawning a growing number of non-standard employment relationships, have made it necessary to revise the directive. The European Commission has responded to the need for change with a proposal aimed at updating and extending the information on employment-related obligations and working conditions, and at creating new minimum standards for all employed workers, including those on atypical contracts. In the European Parliament, the Committee for Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) has adopted a report focused on the scope of the directive, on employees' working hours and the conditions for making information available to them, and on employers' responsibilities. The provisional agreement concluded in trilogue between European Parliament and the Council negotiators sets, among other things, new rules on the scope of the directive, the date of providing information, the length of probatory periods, and regulates working conditions in the case of variable working schedules. This agreement now needs to be approved by Parliament in plenary.

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Road transport: Enforcement and special provisions for posted workers

08-04-2019

The EU has established a range of social measures applicable to the road transport sector, which aim at improving drivers' working conditions, road safety and competition. To give real substance to these measures, compliance is key. The 2006 Enforcement Directive was therefore adopted to effectively implement the social provisions of the Driving Time Regulation. The current proposal, published in the context of the European Commission's 2017 'Europe on the move' initiative, seeks to remedy some shortcomings ...

The EU has established a range of social measures applicable to the road transport sector, which aim at improving drivers' working conditions, road safety and competition. To give real substance to these measures, compliance is key. The 2006 Enforcement Directive was therefore adopted to effectively implement the social provisions of the Driving Time Regulation. The current proposal, published in the context of the European Commission's 2017 'Europe on the move' initiative, seeks to remedy some shortcomings of the Enforcement Directive, such as non-uniform implementation. Additionally, it puts forward specific rules on the posting of workers in the road sector, to respond to concerns raised regarding the inadequacy of the Posting of Workers Directive, when applied to the road transport sector. The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) adopted its report and a mandate to start interinstitutional negotiations in June 2018. However, Parliament did not endorse the mandate and then, in July 2018, rejected the report, referring it back to the TRAN committee. The Council agreed a general approach on this proposal in December 2018, under the Austrian Presidency. In January 2019, the TRAN committee failed to reach an agreement on a compromise proposal. In March, the Conference of Presidents decided to include this file on the agenda of the March II plenary session. After procedural complications, Parliament adopted its first-reading position during the subsequent plenary session, on 4 April 2019.

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European Labour Authority

08-04-2019

The rapid increase in the number of Europeans working in a Member State other than their own, the large number of daily cross-border commuters and the need for information on job opportunities and rights at home and abroad have led the European Commission to propose the creation of a European-level coordinating body. The European Labour Authority (ELA) would replace, reorganise, or cooperate with existing structures dealing with information for individuals and employers, mediate between national ...

The rapid increase in the number of Europeans working in a Member State other than their own, the large number of daily cross-border commuters and the need for information on job opportunities and rights at home and abroad have led the European Commission to propose the creation of a European-level coordinating body. The European Labour Authority (ELA) would replace, reorganise, or cooperate with existing structures dealing with information for individuals and employers, mediate between national labour authorities and social security bodies, and gather viable data on posted workers and commuters. According to the provisional agreement between the Council and the Parliament, reached on 26 February 2019, the main tasks of the ELA will be to facilitate access to information, enhance cooperation, and coordinate and support concerted and joint inspections. Furthermore, the ELA, in cooperation with Member States and social partner organisations, will assess risks and carry out analyses regarding labour mobility and social security coordination. The ELA may also conclude cooperation agreements with other relevant Union agencies. The European Parliament is due to vote on the provisional agreement in plenary in April 2019.

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Plenary round-up – Brussels, April I 2019

05-04-2019

Highlights of the April I plenary session included debates on the Future of Europe with Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, and on UK withdrawal from the EU. Important debates also took place on several legislative proposals, and Members voted on proposals including the mobility package files debated during the March II plenary session on rules for posted road transport workers and on working conditions for drivers. Parliament also adopted first-reading positions on three further proposed funding ...

Highlights of the April I plenary session included debates on the Future of Europe with Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, and on UK withdrawal from the EU. Important debates also took place on several legislative proposals, and Members voted on proposals including the mobility package files debated during the March II plenary session on rules for posted road transport workers and on working conditions for drivers. Parliament also adopted first-reading positions on three further proposed funding programmes for the 2021-2027 period.

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A governance framework for algorithmic accountability and transparency

04-04-2019

Transparency and accountability are both tools to promote fair algorithmic decisions by providing the foundations for obtaining recourse to meaningful explanation, correction, or ways to ascertain faults that could bring about compensatory processes. The study develops policy options for the governance of algorithmic transparency and accountability, based on an analysis of the social, technical and regulatory challenges posed by algorithmic systems. Based on an extensive review and analysis of existing ...

Transparency and accountability are both tools to promote fair algorithmic decisions by providing the foundations for obtaining recourse to meaningful explanation, correction, or ways to ascertain faults that could bring about compensatory processes. The study develops policy options for the governance of algorithmic transparency and accountability, based on an analysis of the social, technical and regulatory challenges posed by algorithmic systems. Based on an extensive review and analysis of existing proposals for governance of algorithmic systems, the authors propose a set of four policy options each of which addresses a different aspect of algorithmic transparency and accountability. 1. Awareness raising: education, watchdogs and whistleblowers. 2. Accountability in public sector use of algorithmic decision-making. 3. Regulatory oversight and Legal liability. 4. Global coordination for algorithmic governance.

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A new directive on work-life balance

02-04-2019

Despite significant progress for some social groups in the area of work-life balance, there has been a general trend of decline since 2011, and progress amongst Member States has been uneven. This proposed directive (complemented with non-legislative measures) should lead to the repeal of the existing Framework Agreement on Parental Leave, made binding by Council Directive 2010/18/EU (the Parental Leave Directive). The new directive contains proposals for paternity, parental and carers’ leave. Stakeholders ...

Despite significant progress for some social groups in the area of work-life balance, there has been a general trend of decline since 2011, and progress amongst Member States has been uneven. This proposed directive (complemented with non-legislative measures) should lead to the repeal of the existing Framework Agreement on Parental Leave, made binding by Council Directive 2010/18/EU (the Parental Leave Directive). The new directive contains proposals for paternity, parental and carers’ leave. Stakeholders have been divided over the level of ambition of the proposed measures. Trilogue negotiations started in September 2018, and a provisional agreement among the three institutions was reached after the sixth trilogue meeting, in January 2019. The provisional agreement is less ambitious than the original Commission proposal and the Parliament’s position, which had, in some ways, gone further than the Commission. The text was approved by the Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee in February 2019, and now needs to be adopted in plenary. Third edition. The ‘EU Legislation in Progress’ briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Please note this document has been designed for on-line viewing.

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Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, March II 2019

29-03-2019

Highlights of the March II plenary session included debates on the conclusions of the 21-22 March 2019 European Council meeting and on recent developments on the Dieselgate scandal. Parliament also debated the situation in Algeria and the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Important debates also took place on various legislative proposals, including on interoperability between EU information systems. Members voted on a number of legislative proposals (see below), such as discontinuing ...

Highlights of the March II plenary session included debates on the conclusions of the 21-22 March 2019 European Council meeting and on recent developments on the Dieselgate scandal. Parliament also debated the situation in Algeria and the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Important debates also took place on various legislative proposals, including on interoperability between EU information systems. Members voted on a number of legislative proposals (see below), such as discontinuing seasonal changes of time. Parliament also voted on the report on the TAX3 committee’s findings and on 53 reports on the 2017 discharge procedure. Finally, Parliament adopted first-reading positions on nine further proposed funding programmes for the 2021-2027 period.

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Maternity and paternity leave in the EU

25-03-2019

This infographic aims to present the current maternity and paternity leave situation in EU Member States. Maternity leave policies in EU Member States are governed by the 1992 Pregnant Workers Directive. A new proposed directive on work-life balance, due to be voted on by Parliament in April 2019, is expected to introduce a mandatory period of paternity leave across the Union. Most EU countries also grant an additional period of parental leave, but parental leave is not covered in this infographic ...

This infographic aims to present the current maternity and paternity leave situation in EU Member States. Maternity leave policies in EU Member States are governed by the 1992 Pregnant Workers Directive. A new proposed directive on work-life balance, due to be voted on by Parliament in April 2019, is expected to introduce a mandatory period of paternity leave across the Union. Most EU countries also grant an additional period of parental leave, but parental leave is not covered in this infographic. This revised version presents the situation in the 28 Member States as known to us on 18 March 2019.